Apple Sponge Food

APPLE SPONGE PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4 and grease a 1.5-litre baking dish with butter.
• Peel, core and chop the apples, then place in a pan with 50g of the sugar and 2 tablespoons of water.
• Cover and cook, stirring now and then, for 8 minutes, or until the apple breaks down. Spoon into your dish, leaving the excess liquid in the pan.
• Beat the eggs with the remaining 50g of sugar until fluffy, then stir in the vanilla extract, sift in the flour and spice and fold together.
• Pour the batter over the apples and bake for 30 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean from the sponge.
• Dust with icing sugar before serving. Delicious served hot with ice cream or custard.

EVE'S PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
• Peel, core and roughly chop the apples. Add the apples to a saucepan with the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons water. Stir, cover and cook briskly for five minutes until the apples are soft.
• Add the butter and caster sugar and stir. Then transfer to a 900ml/1½ pint capacity ceramic gratin dish, about 5cm/2in deep. Leave to cool while you prepare the topping.
• For the topping, cream together the butter and caster sugar until fluffy and light.
• Fold the flour and egg in alternate spoonfuls into the sugar mixture until blended, being careful to keep folding rather than stirring energetically - this will keep air in the mixture and fold in. Add a spoonful of boiling water to the mix.
• Spoon the mixture over the apples. Cook in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the topping is puffy and golden. Serve with cream or custard.

JAMES MARTIN'S RUSSIAN SHARLOTKA (APPLE SPONGE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350.
• Place the caster sugar, flour and eggs into a bowl and whisk together to make a thick smooth batter.
• Grease and flour a deep baking dish and arrange all the apple slices to cover the bottom of the dish.
• Spoon the batter mixture over the top and transfer to the oven to bake for 30-40 minutes. (To check if the sponge is ready, insert a skewer into the top of the sponge, if it comes out sticky, return to the oven to cook for another 5 minutes.).

GLUTEN FREE APPLE SPONGE

Steps:

• Peel, core, quarter and slice apples. Place in saucepan with sugar, water, spices and mixed peel. Cook uncovered for about 10 minutes or until apples are tender.
• To make sponge topping: beat eggs in small bowl with electric mixer until thick and creamy. Gradually add sugar and beat until it is dissolved. Fold in sifted flour.
• Spoon hot apple mixture into a deep round ovenproof dish and spread sponge topping over. Ensure that the apple mixture is as hot as possible before spreading the topping.
• Bake uncovered for about 25 minutes.

SPICED APPLE SPONGE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350*F (180*C).
• Peel core, and slice the apples into eights (slicing through the middle ways, so that the slices stay in rounds).
• Melt the butter in a large frying pan, add the apples slices and cook, stirring occasionally, over high heat for 7 minutes, or until browned.
• Add the raisins, lemon juice, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, half the sugar and 1/2 cup water.
• Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 3 minutes, or until the apples are tender.
• Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves and spoon the apple mixture into a deep 2 litre round ovenproof casserole.
• To make the sponge topping, beat the eggs, remaining sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl with electric beaters for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the mixture is light and creamy.
• Sift together the flours and fold into the creamy mixture with a metal spoon.
• Spoon the sponge topping over the apples and bake for 30 minutes, or until the sponge is well risen and golden.
• Dust with icing sugar before serving.
• Best eaten immediately.

EVE'S PUDDING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Peel, core and slice the apples. Grease a large serving dish, about 2.5 litre/3 litre with 25g/1oz of the butter and tip in the apple. Scatter the raisins over the top.
• In a separate dish beat the remaining butter and sugar together for 10 mins until the butter turns pale and the sugar starts to dissolve. Beat in the eggs, then carefully fold in the flour with a large spoon. Spread the batter over the apples, then bake for 45 mins until golden. Serve with the custard, below.

CARAMEL APPLE SPONGE PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
• Butter a large glass or ceramic baking dish approx 32cm x 23cm x 5cm (12" x 9" x 2").
• Peel, core and slice apples 1cm (approx 1/2") thick.
• Pile apples into the baking dish, adding more apple if necessary to generously cover the bottom of the dish.
• Sift flour, baking powder and sugar into a large mixing bowl.
• Make a well in the centre and add milk, butter and eggs and beat with an electric mixer until the mixture becomes pale and the beaters leave a trail.
• Spoon batter evenly over the apples and smooth out with the back of a large spoon.
• Combine brown sugar, golden syrup and water in a small saucepan.
• Stir over medium heat until the mixture has become liquid and the brown sugar has melted.
• Stop stirring and allow mixture to come to the boil.
• Remove immediately from heat and pour evenly over the batter.
• Place dish on the centre shelf of the preheated 180°C (350°F) oven.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
• Dust lightly with icing sugar to serve and serve with thick cream.